Chickpea Broccoli Casserole

Hello, again!

For my first dinner in my new life as a vegan (working towards veganism), I made chickpea broccoli casserole.

The recipe is found in Vegan With A Vengeance by the lovely and always entertaining Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Buy it on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Vengeance-Delicious-Animal-Free-Recipes/dp/1569243581/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1314057817&sr=8-6).  How do I know she's entertaining?  Well, I don't know her personally, but I would love to meet her!  The descriptions she puts before the recipes in her cookbooks can contain humor, and I really appreciate that.

I can actually read her cookbooks.  She is one of my favorite cookbook authors (vegan, vegetarian or omnivore).  I have all of her cookbooks, and I enjoy looking at them quite often.

This recipe looked really delicious as I was reading it, trying to find recipes to make for the week.  I have never not liked any of her recipes.

I found a link for it online - http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/eating/recipes/entrees/chickpea_broccoli_casserole.html.

I made the recipe as is, except I left out the chives and onion.  As some of you will know if you have read some of my past blog entries, I despise onions.  With that said, the casserole turned out to be very delicious.  The two other people that ate it loved it a lot as well. 

When you add the salt, I added a LOT (and I mean a LOT) of freshly-ground black pepper and about a teaspoon and a half of red pepper flakes.  I do love heat!  You can, of course, adjust this to fit your tastes.  I would have added a lot more red pepper, but other people were eating this.  I wanted them to enjoy it and not have their mouths be on fire!

Let me know what you think!

  

The Decision to Switch to Veganism

Hello, my readers!

I have started on a new journey.  I am going to make "the change" over to veganism.  I am doing it for health reasons.  I don't have any ailments or anything; I just want to live a healthier life with food.  I will try to do it quickly because I have a high success rate when I quit something cold turkey.  In this instance, it will be quitting meat, dairy, eggs, and all other things made with an animal ingredient.

I have dabbled in veganism before with making recipes that are completely free of any animal ingredients.  I have found this way of eating to be very fascinating, especially with the baking.  How can one have a cake or a brownie without eggs and milk?  It is possible, and the results are just as amazing!

I have to admit that it will take some getting used to because I have grown up eating meat and dairy.  Like most literature that I have read, cheese will be the most difficult item to eschew.  I think I can do it.  I know I can do it.

I will say that my favorite authors of vegan cookbooks are the following:

Isa Chandra Moskowitz - http://www.theppk.com/
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau - http://www.compassionatecooks.com/
Robin Robertson - http://www.globalvegankitchen.com/

I apologize for this entry being short, but I will expand upon this entry with subsequent entries that will feature recipes from the above authors/vegan chefs, as well as others.  I will have to get used to this way of eating (for the lack of a better phrase) before I try to create my own recipes.

If anyone who reads this post has any suggestions or any comments regarding this, please feel free to comment.  I will respond if needed.  :)

Let the journey begin!!!

Orzo with Turkey Sausage and Roasted Bell Peppers

Good evening. 

I revisited the April 26, 2011 post, "Orzo with Andouille, Roma Tomatoes and Roasted Red Bell Peppers" and redid the recipe in a much more simple fashion. 

I boiled some whole grain orzo in a mixture of water and low-sodium chicken broth according to package directions; the one I had needed to be boiled for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, I heated up some turkey sausage in a skillet on medium heat.  The kind I bought was already fully cooked, and it didn't have any casings.  It was 13.5 ounces total for 5 links.  I mashed the sausage up with a potato masher because it was quicker. 

While the sausage was heating, I added lots of pepper and some salt and about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes and stirred every minute or so.  After about three minutes of heating, I added two chopped roasted red bell peppers from a jar, stirred and let it heat some more.

Once the orzo was done, I used a hand-held strainer (sometimes called a "spider" which is a disgusting term) to transfer all the orzo into the skillet with the rest of the ingredients.

Stir it all together and add about 1/2 cup or so of the boiling liquid, stir some more.  Add some additional liquid if the mixture seems dry.

Enjoy!

I don't have a picture because I couldn't locate the camera, but it does resemble the picture on the original posting referenced at the beginning of this post.  :)

Artichoke Risotto

Good evening!

I was really feeling a risotto dish this week, so I decided to make this recipe that I have made many times before.  The dish, "Italian Truck-Stop Artichoke Risotto", is from the book 1,000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson.  It is an AMAZING book, and it has so many recipes that is sure to please any person out there.  I highly recommend purchasing this book.  Here is the link for it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/000-Vegan-Recipes/dp/0470085029/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311813974&sr=8-1


I was able to locate the recipe online:

http://books.google.com/books?id=jeFz24WOHq8C&pg=PA274&lpg=PA274&dq=robin+robertson+artichoke+risotto&source=bl&ots=iH5CRFgDDk&sig=tUz5u9CNLyehN1X8wrdEg5dPhlY&hl=en&ei=2awwTvakK5GisQLBh-HjCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

It is a pretty straight-forward recipe that is kind of difficult to mess up.  Instead of the frozen artichokes, I used a can of quartered artichokes packed in water - the chopping is already done!  I didn't include the basil because I didn't feel like buying fresh basil at the store.  I threw in some red pepper flakes (as well as the salt & pepper) before the last addition of the stock/broth.

Like I have mentioned in my other posts with risottos, you have to babysit the rice as it cooks and constantly stir it in order to develop the starches and get the broth absorbed.  Patience is a virtue, and I don't really have any.  With food, however, I will wait for a fantastic dish.

The result is out of this world.  The risotto is so creamy and delicious that it isn't funny.  I love all risottos that I have made or tried.  I (and Robin Robertson) hope you like this one too!

Chicken in an Apricot Glaze

Who doesn't love their chicken in some sort of sauce?  I have seen quite a few recipes for some sort of glazed chicken, and I decided to do apricot tonight.  I know; I'm a trendsetter. 

You really just cube up some chicken, cook it, and then toss in a heated sauce and cook it together.

Ingredients:

1-1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed into about 3/4" pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1 C apricot preserves
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/4 C water
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp cold water

In a non-stick skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat.  Add the chicken pieces and salt & pepper, to taste.  Saute for about 10-12 minutes, stirring about every 2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, combine the apricot preserves, red pepper flakes, garlic clove, water and salt & pepper (to taste) in a small saucepan and stir together.  Heat the sauce on medium for about 10 minutes until it is hot and the consistency of a glaze.

Once the chicken is done cooking (break open a piece to test), drain out any liquid that may be with the chicken.  Remove the garlic clove from the glaze and add it to the chicken and stir.  Add the cornstarch & water mixture and stir some more.  It should thicken as you stir and let it sit to cook some more.  Let it cook for an additional 2-3 minutes on medium. 

Serve with some brown rice & garlicky broccoli!  (Reference blog entry on 1/25/11 - "Lemon Chicken, Garlicky Broccoli and Brown Rice").  I drizzled some of the glaze on the rice for some added flavor.  :)

Enjoy!!!

Greek Salad with a Lemon, Dijon & Oregano Dressing

Good evening, my loyal readers!

Greek food is one of my favorites.  I love going to the annual Greek festival that's in Kansas City every September.  It is so much fun, and there is, of course, amazing food.

I decided to make a Greek salad because I had everything on hand that I needed to assemble my version of a Greek salad.  I wanted to use it all before it went bad.

My recipe:

1 lb of chopped romaine
     *I rinse mine again, even though the bag may say pre-washed or whatever.
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, peeled and sliced into thin half-moons
     *I included this for the other people enjoying this salad, not me.
1 jar of pepperoncini, drained
1 jar or can of Greek kalamata olives, rinsed
     *I only had sliced black olives on hand.  It won't make or break the salad.
A container of Feta
     *I use reduced fat

Combine all of the ingredients, except for the feta in a large bowl and toss with salad tongs to evenly distribute everything.

Dressing:

The zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/4 C + 1 tbsp (or 5 tbsp) EVOO
1 tsp dried Oregano

Combine the lemon zest & juice, Dijon mustard and salt & pepper in a small bowl. Whisk it together.  Then gradually whisk in the EVOO to emulsify.  Add in the dried oregano and do a final whisk.  Taste for seasonings and adjust, if necessary.

Assembly:

Put some salad mixture in a bowl, top with some feta, then add some dressing.  Because the dressing is very flavorful, you don't need a lot. 

I let people put on their own dressing, so that they can control how much they want.  Plus, the lettuce won't wilt as fast!

Yummy!!!

Whole Grain Rotini with Roasted Zucchini & Red Bell Peppers

Good evening! 

Tonight, I made whole grain rotini with some roasted zucchini and red bell peppers and tossed all of that in a lemon & EVOO dressing.  This recipe is based off Ina Garten's recipe called "Orzo with Roasted Vegetables" - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/orzo-with-roasted-vegetables-recipe/index.html. 

I have made the Ina recipe many times, and I love it.  The one I made tonight is one with fewer ingredients. 

Instead of orzo, I used whole grain rotini.  I used two zucchini instead of one eggplant.  The dressing is the same ingredients, and I didn't use any of the ingredients under "To assemble".  When I did make it like the linked recipe, I did include the feta and the basil. 

My recipe:

2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
2 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then into half-moons (1/2" thick)
Garlic - 4 large cloves or 5-6 small cloves, minced
3-4 tbsp EVOO
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb. Whole Grain Rotini
The zest AND juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup of juice)
1/4 cup EVOO
Additional salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place the peppers and zucchini on a cookie sheet.  Add the garlic, EVOO, salt & pepper (to taste) and the red pepper flakes.  Toss to coat everything evenly and spread it into a single layer.  Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let the veggies rest.

While the vegetables are roasting, cook the rotini according to the package directions.  Make sure you salt the water in order to add flavor to the pasta.  Add the drained pasta back into the pot. 

For the dressing, add the lemon juice and zest in a small bowl.  Whisk in the EVOO to combine.  Add some salt and pepper.  Taste the dressing and adjust seasonings. 

In the pot, add the roasted vegetables to the noodles and stir.  Pour in the dressing and stir again.  Taste for seasonings and adjust. 

Bon appetit!